Faisalabad top Pool A after convincing win

A strong batting performance in the first innings, led by a knock of 136 from Khurram Shehzad, and a five-wicket haul from seamer Samiullah Khan gave Faisalabad an eight-wicket victory over Abbottabad at the Mirpur Stadium. After conceding a 250-run lead, Abbottabad batted with resolve in their second dig to prevent an innings defeat.

After Faisalabad were put in to bat, two healthy partnerships of 77 and 214 helped them score a strong 453. Besides Shehzad, Mohammad Shahid and the captain Mohammad Salman contributed to their strong total of 453, with knocks of 96 and 88 respectively.

Abbottabad's batting, besides Rameez Ahmed, who scored 87, crumbled as Samiullah took 5 for 47. They folded for 203, and Rameez Ahmed's century helped them put up a better show after they were asked to follow on. Eventually, Faisalabad chased their target of 60 with ease.

Quetta batted strongly in their second innings to force a draw against Bahawalpur at the Multan Stadium. Chasing 385, half-centuries from Bismillah Khan, Taimur Ali and Ata-u-Rahman took them to 241 for 6 at the end of the final day.

Bahawalpur were ahead in the match due to a lead of 109 in the first innings. Kamran Hussain's 123 took them to 268, before a five-wicket haul from Bilal Khilji destroyed Quetta's middle order, and they were bowled out for 159. Bahawalpur backed this up with a strong innings, with Rehan Rafiq and Moinuddin scoring 84 and 58 respectively helping them to 275 for 8 before they declared on the third day. Quetta's batsmen, however, survived the remaining time in the match.

Rain prevented any play on the final day of the high-scoring drawn match between Hyderabad and Lahore Ravi in Islamabad. Hyderabad dominated Ravi's attack; three centuries, from Azeem Ghumman, Rizwan Ahmed and Lal Kumar Hyderabad to 584, at a run-rate of 4.83.

Ravi were in trouble in their chase on the second day, as seamers Mir Ali and Rehan Riaz took four wickets between them to reduce Ravi to 64 for 5. However, opener Sami Aslam and Adnan Akmal put on a 177-run stand to resurrect their innings. Aslam scored 144, and Adnan Akmal remained unbeaten on 149.

Sialkot, with centuries from Zeeshan Mushtaq and Shoaib Malik, claimed three points out of a drawn match against Islamabad, in which play on the final day was cancelled due to rain.

After being put in to bat, opener Raheel Majeed and No. 3 Ali Sarfraz, with a 221-run stand, laid a strong foundation for Islamabad. But seamer Faisal Rasheed took five wickets to facilitate a collapse, which proved costly. The final nine wickets fell for 78 runs, as Islamabad were bowled out for 303.

In reply, Sialkot were in a tricky spot at 118 for 5, and but Mushtaq and Malik, with their knocks of 133 and 114, secured three points for their team. Sialkot finished the third day on 377 for 8.

An incisive bowling spell from left-arm quick Zohaib Shera put Karachi Blues well on their way to victory right from the first morning against Lahore Shalimar, in the Super Eights fixture at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. The visitors completed the win on the third day, by seven wickets, and subsequently went to the top of the Group B table with two victories in two games.

Shera accounted for the top seven Shalimar batsmen, after Blues had put them in to bat. Three of his seven victims were out for ducks, as Shalimar folded for 137 in 35 overs. Blues opener Fakhar Zaman then consolidated their position with a century. While none of the other Blues batsmen could get to a fifty, a few cameos around Zaman's innings secured a 118-run first-innings lead for them.

Shalimar's top-order batsmen all got starts in the second innings, but none could kick on. They totaled 299, meaning Blues needed 182. Any hopes Shalimar had of defending that early on, after dismissing the first-innings centurion cheaply, were quashed by Rameez Raja and Wajihuddin. They were both out just short of a half-century and a hundred respectively, but their contributions were enough to ensure their team galloped to their target.

Rawalpindi's bowlers, Sohail Tanvir and Hammad Azam, wrecked Karachi Whites in either innings to complete an innings victory inside two days for the home side. They took nine points from the game, while Karachi took none.

The advantage was secured early on the first day, when Karachi were shot out for 69 in 29 overs. Tanvir took 5 for 29, while Sadaf Hussain and Azam took two wickets each. Opener Shazaib Hasan's 19 was the top score.

Rawalpindi were comfortably placed at 153 for 1 in their first innings before Abdul Ameer began to slice through the line-up. He took 8 for 98 but half-centuries from Awais Zia and the captain Babar Naeem had ensured a healthy lead. Rawalpindi made 292.

Trailing by 223, Karachi's openers managed 76 before the collapse began. Hasan stayed firm at one end, making 81 as Azam ran through his team-mates and finished with figures of 7 for 46. Karachi were dismissed for 200 in 43 overs.